Comin' In From the Cold

       Yesterday was a cold, windy day.  The day before was colder but less windy.  Yes, it is cold, and we need to know how to deal with the chill in the air.  But, we also have spiritual winters... when spiritual winter arrives it comes in the form of dark and dreary days.  The trials of a spiritual winter are difficult and many.  We need to know how to winterize our lives.  Otherwise spiritual winter can leave us lonely and discouraged.
     One of the things that can make our winter colder is the bitter air of the world.  When we are going through a spiritual winter, we tend to let down our guard... worldly influences creep in... they seep through the cracks of our lives, around the doors to our hearts.  The cold air of influence may come from worldly friends, from the media, or from within - wrong thinking.  We have to get out the caulk and seal up those holes and cracks. The best way to do this is God's Word. Read it. Memorize it. Apply it to our lives.
     The icicles of a cold heart are a problem in the winter, too.  It's easy to develop a coldness of attitude during our winters.  Talking with The Almighty in earnest prayer can melt even the coldest of hearts.
  

     Frost:  If we are going through trials, depression can easily nip at our toes like frost.  Left unchecked, the frost begins to affect more and more of our lives, becoming unbearable.  Inertia sets in.  And, inertia is deadly. Left  unmoved, frost can become frostbite, and frostbite can result in death.  It is, of course, better to prevent the frost from overtaking us, because once it enters us, it is difficult to relieve. Time spent with God every day will keep us warm, warding off the frost of depression and discouragement.
     And, then there are the blizzards of circumstance.  Blizzards can be devastating; the circumstances of our lives can be overwhelming... illness, financial burdens, relationship difficulties. In the times of blizzard, we must remember that God is in control.  Even in the worst of circumstances, He is right there, ready to guide us to a warmer state of mind.
  

 Before winter enters our lives - or even after - we need to pack Emergency Kits for ourselves and our families:
#1: Extra blankets:  Blanketing ourselves with the fellowship of others creates and maintains warmth in
our  lives. We need love and prayers from others to keep the edge off the winter chill.
#2: Non-perishable food:  Scripture is the perfect food;  the Bible offers milk, meat, or manna - depending on  our needs.  Memorized scripture can help us even in the most desperate of winter storms.
#3:Water - Christ is The Living Water.  Drink of His love and strength.  Relying on Christ will keep us  from a  cold, dry, and  bitter existence.  .
#4: Emergency Light source:  God is our light.  His guidance in our daily lives is essential.  In the cold of
      winter we need His light even more.

     We all have spiritual winters in our lives.  But preparing for them can help prevent them from
becoming disastrous.  So, today, take the time to make sure you are prepared for winter.


       SHALOM   Y'ALL  -  TWYLA

They Seldom Look Up

AP Photo/ Heribert Proepper/ File  Lunar Eclipse

     Yesterday evening I tried to write this post.  Twice. The first time it was a disaster and I erased it;  the second time I was very pleased with it, but - somehow - it got "sent into space" (my terminology  for the mysterious way that sometimes a computer makes things disappear, even when you'd SWEAR you didn't touch any button, swizzle, or whoozer...).  So, I'm going to try to reconstruct the post one more time...'cause I think it's a worthy topic.
     Last night/early this morning we had a total lunar eclipse.  A total lunar eclipse occurs when the sun, moon, and earth all line up, casting a shadow over the entire moon.  A tiny bit of light filters through, giving the moon an unusual color. Scientists were saying yesterday that because of the recent volcanic eruptions, the eclipsed moon might appear darker than usual... perhaps a reddish brown...We got up in the middle of the night to see it, but there was total cloud cover.  I was pretty disappointed;  I had hoped to take some photos.
  

Photo taken last night by my daughter, Melody Germain

      Today is also the "shortest day of the year" - the first day of Winter - in the northern hemisphere.  It has been three-hundred-some-odd years since this particular combination of occurrences has happened in the heavenlies. I'd be interested to know  what happened on the earth the last time.  And I am curious as to what will happen this time. Hmmmm.  curiosity mingled with fear.
     God created the heavens and the earth.   "God is not the author of confusion, but of peace." ( I Cor. 14:33)  Everything is in tremendous order.  God is neat as a pin!  And way smarter than all the earth's scientists put together.  The Creator made the stars and calls them all by name. (Psalm  147:4).  The heavens reflect what is happening on earth; or, more likely, vice versa.  So, I believe that when unusual things occur in the skies, unusual things are also occurring on our little planet.
       The Bible teaches that astrology is wrong.  Not so with astronomy.  The "Magi", or wise men,  were astronomers - men who studied the patterns in the stars as a way of reading what was happening on the earth.  Two-thousand or so years ago, the Magi saw an astral occurrence which had never before happened and which has never again occurred;  it was the star of Bethlehem, which ushered in the birth of the Messiah.
  

      Christ Himself spoke of signs and wonders in the skies, particularly related to His second coming: "And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;  Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh."  Luke 21: 25, 26, 28)  We can look at the created for signs, but we need to look to the Creator to worship.
     Many years ago I worked a weekend job as an RN.  I almost always worked with a certain nurse who I will call Sherry.  Sherry was difficult to work with, difficult to get along with.  She was very vocal, complaining about 'most everything and everybody.  Nobody could quite measure up to her demands, although, in fact, I was in charge, not her.  She complained bitterly about the schedule, the weather, whatever... and her conversation was punctuated with language that would make a sailor blush.   One day, when another employee couldn't find a certain piece of equipment, Sherry yelled at them, "Look on the top shelf' I #%& know it's there!"  Then, she turned to me and said, "They never look up.  They never even think to look up." I quietly answered, "You're right;  people hardly ever think to look up."  Sherry audibly gasped: the deeper meaning of my words had gotten through to her.  If only for a moment, she thought of God.  I don't know what ever happened to Sherry, and I don't know whether or not our little conversation made a difference to her.  But, it made an impact on me.  I need to spend more time looking up.  How 'bout you?
     "When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained: What is man that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man that thou visitest him?" ( Psalm 8:3,4 ) If I am not looking up to the Creator,  I have only myself to blame.  As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Most of the shadows of this life are caused by standing in one's own sunshine."

SHALOM  Y'ALL -  TWYLA

Friday - The Eve of Shabbat

as paraphrased from the Website, OU.org


          Friday is Yom HaShishi - The Sixth "Day"   Saturday is Shabbat, or Sabbath.  Human beings need a transition  between holy and worldly. When one speaks of the Holy Shabbat, that transition is provided by Erev Shabbat, Shabbat  Eve. What occurred on the first Erev Shabbat? Let us look at the Bible, where that event is described.
     "…And Hashem said, 'Let us make Man in our image and in our form, and let them rule over the fish in the sea, and the birds in the sky, and over the cattle and over all creatures that are above the earth, and over all things that creep upon the earth.' And the L-rd created Man in His image; He created him in the image of G-d; male and female did He create them…"
     "…And G-d saw all that He had done, and behold it was very good; and it was evening and it was morning; the Sixth "Day."
     Paraphrasing Rabbi Kaplan : "…Shabbat must also be a do-it-yourself project. In order to really feel the Sabbath, you cannot wait for it to come to you. You must get into it. Every person must make his own Shabbat. You must prepare yourself and get into the mood. Only then will you be able to feel its true significance. True understanding only comes from doing and feeling. In a way, Shabbat is like (being in) love. You can talk about love for the rest of your life, but if you have never experienced it, you will never understand it. Once you have been in love though, no further discussion is necessary."
     Sabbath is a bond of love between people and Adonai.
    And so I am setting up the Shabbat table, and looking forward to  lighting the candles, reading scriptures, saying blessings, partaking of the grape juice and the challah bread - all in preparation for tomorrow - the Sabbath, a day of rest and pleasure.

                                                    My watercolor, " Aaronic Blessing"

                                                      Shabbat Shalom!          Twyla